How Far?
by Kraevir
Summary: As the world burns down around them, two friends reflect on their duty. To themselves. To the world. They'll try, and maybe that's enough. A series of drabbles, unrelated or otherwise.
1. Who'd Have Thought

Right so, yeah. Since I'm such a lazy , I've decided I'll just stick to short drabbles, vignettes, and shorter variations of FF. Here's the first of which. R & R si?

**Edit: **I have half a mind to delete this chapter because it just sucks so much hard balls, so don't take this one as seriously as the rest. Lol.

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"So, who'd have bet that it'd turn out this way right? Aesir?"

The crimson sunset stained the skies before him as he chuckled at his friend's jibe. The acrid air stung his nostrils as he inhaled deeply, savoring the smell of battle. Exhaling sharply he stood and turned to face his comrade in arms.

"You know, we should've seen this coming. After all, we've been killing monsters left and right for how long now? Years? Decades? Millennia? It'd only have been so long before it would come back and bite us in the ass," he responded.

His friend merely nodded solemnly as his smile faded from his face. The air was thick with emotions—hate, love, anguish, excitement—all practically tangible. They felt as though they could easily slice through it with a blade, and truthfully would have felt much better if they could slay it like a monster. At least then it'd be something they knew how to do, but as it were, they withstood the tension as best as one could.

"Fucking shit, I hate this you know that? I hate having to kill for a living. But what I hate more is being stuck here, useless while everybody else is running around trying to do what _we _could easily finish ourselves. You and me both know that we could finish this right now. We could kill that god damned Horntail-what-chya-ma-calls-it before any more lives are lost," his friend whispered, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. Yeah I know." Aesir held out his palm as a small gray flake floated down from the heavens. Clenching his hand, he crushed the ash, and let it blow off into the distance. He stared as it disappeared.

"Why the _hell_ aren't we doing something?" His friend screamed, a lonely howl echoing off the burnt landscape around him. The charred bones, grinning skulls, and decayed rubble seems to mock his misery by reiterating his scream, over and over again into infinity and back. Aesir kicked a burnt spear, contemplating his answer.

"We can end this right now. Just you and me Aesir. Come on. _Please._" His friend begged.

Aesir paused. "You know we can die doing this right," he asked.

"Hah, when haven't we been in the risk of dying."

Aesir smirked. "Why my dear lad, I believe we were rather safe drinking ale a while back before this all started."

"Oh sure, that's excluding the murderous band of thieves that came after us when you drunkenly kicked the ring leader in the nuts right?" His friend laughed.

"Of course," Aesir chuckled. His friend sobered up and stared at Aesir. Aesir's smile faded again, replaced by a grim frown.

"It is all coming to an end," his friend said.

"Well then, lets see how far we get before it all comes crashing down around us eh? If we die trying to save the world, then at least we tried."

"We won't fail. Haven't before, so let's not start now."

Aesir nodded and clenched his friend's tunic, and squinted his eyes as he stared at what may be the last sunset he ever saw. His friend uttered the words of power, formed the sigil, and the last thing he saw before they teleported was the stained skull of Athena, grinning up at him in pride.


	2. Indecency

So they'd succeeded. They saved the world, killed Horntail, stopped the destruction and all that good stuff. There was a general celebration. Raucous parties next door, riots in the streets, drunken adventurers roaring in happiness, and joyous bards spun new tales.

But one house was silent. One kitchen held one person where not a single chuckle escaped that night. Instead, one tear traveled unchartered territory leaving a solitary trail of sadness etched upon Maya's face.

So as she sat—suffering the indecency of a world cheering the death of her husband—she couldn't help but wish that the war had never ended.


	3. Rain

Just wanted to try my hand at a fight scene, in case I ever need to write an interesting one. Hopefully It turns out well.

Btw, I'm willing to accept a beta. Or (god forbid) be a beta to somebody.

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The rain drizzled down, soaking the ground and creating tiny rivulets of water on their faces. The gentle drip, drip, drip created a calming melody--a perfect backdrop for a final battle. The bowmaster faced the night lord; the night lord faced the bowmaster and with a flash of lightening it all began.

With a surge of mana, the nightlord rushed forwards while releasing a flurry of iridescent stars. The bowmaster responded with an equally vicious flow of lustrous arrows which collided with the stars in flashes of light, illuminating the pale landscape and creating monsterous shadows which leaped out to terrify all the onlookers.

One bright arrow streaked towards the nightlord, but he easily leaped over it, continuing towards the bowmaster. Seeing an opportunity, the bowmaster released a powerful arrow. With a deafening roar it soared at the nightlord. It seemed as though the nightlord would lose right then, but with a blast of mana he simply leaped again far into the air. With a cheeky smirk at his nemesis, he wrapped his cloak around his body and disappeared into nothingness.

Frowning in frustration, the bowmaster closed his eyes and focused, extending all his senses outwards. Like tendrils of pure energy, they felt everything and sensed even the slightest disturbance. The bowmaster tilted his head sideways, just as a star flew past ruffling his hair, to embed itself in a tree behind him. A small crack resounded throughout the clearing, and whirling around the bowmaster released another arrow infused with draconic malice. However, acting quickly the nightlord threw a massive star at the arrow, which collided in an explosion of bright blue light. Sent skidding backwards, mud flying about, the nightlord unfurled his cloak and nodded approvingly.

Then with a smirk, his hand was engulfed in mana. Slamming it down into the ground, he slowly brought it back upwards. With it, his shadow slowly peeled itself off the ground and mimicked his action, right down the the condescending smile.

The bowmaster smiled and snapped his fingers. A tiny flare of fire erupted from his fingertips and quickly grew to form a giant phoenix. Meanwhile, the nightlord flicked his wrist as well, and a team of theives appeared at his side, only to quickly vanish into the bushes.

And so the competition continued. With astounding elegance the night lord evaded all of the arrows and flames threatening to engulf him, while the bowmaster pinned down every star and theif tossed his way. It continued in an lethal ballet, each move perfectly choreographed. It was the hunter and the hunted, the predator and the prey, the victor and the defeated, although which was which neither truly knew. It continued through the night, the stars twinkling in amusement at this barbaric display of power.

So as dawn broke over the horizon, illuminating the torn and wasted battlefield the two fighters were revealed in the throes of of exhaustion. In a final groan of effort, the bowmaster lifted his dragon shiner skywards, releasing a single silver arrow. The nightlord looked on bemused, but nevertheless drew a single star and dipped it into a sidepouch of poison. Lifting the steaming star he readied to throw it, just as a whistling arrow slammed down in front of him. Snapping his gaze upwards, he marveled at the sky blanketed by silver arrows. He crouched down and rattled off a spell. A stream of golden coins erupted from a pouch, flowing upwards and forming a gigantic shield of fluid coins. Glancing back as the bowmaster his eyes widened in fear as he saw a golden arrow released at him. Quickly moving sideways, he tried to dodge and tossed his venomous star. The arrow pierced the nightlord's chest just as the star sliced into the bowmaster's side.

Laying on their backs, they savored the morning sky.

Drip, drip, drip.

"It's a beautiful morning."

"Yeah. It is. Heh, pity."

And with a sigh, both perished.

And the blood-stained skies weeped their passing.


	4. Always There

Random thing that popped into my head. What would happen to a person that lost someone (father, mother, w/e) in this cliched battle between good and evil. Because _"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." - Jose Narosky. _R & R guys. Honestly I don't even know if you guys read this anymore. Lol.

Soundtrack when written: Aruarian Dance by Nujabes

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She's sitting there alone in the rain and she's _crying_ _and crying_ and God, it just won't stop and why won't it stop.

So he walks up to her and smiles kindly and envelops her in a hug, a simple heartfelt hug. And then she's not just crying, but she's sobbing and choking and _hanging on for dear life_ because the only thing she's sure of is that he's there and that he's been there and she doesn't want that to go away.

(_Never go way.)_

And he holds her through the night and by morning the skies have finished weeping and are bright and alive once more.

_(And so is she.)_

She turns to him with a tentative smile, heart on her sleeve and tears in her eyes and hugs him. He tilts her head up and looks her in the eye and there's just _so much love in his eyes_ and then she knows he's real_. _But it's left unsaid of course because she realizes it was always there and always had been, just as he's always been there and it amazes her.

_(And she wouldn't have it any other way.)_

So she thanks him with a tender kiss and walks away.

_(And he's right there beside her.) _


End file.
